How To (Easily) Turn Off 4G/LTE On the HTC Thunderbolt

Ever since HTC and Verizon released the Thunderbolt, users have been trying to squeeze more battery life out of the notoriously short-lived phone. One of the best ways to curb the phone's power-eating tendencies is to shut off the LTE radio. However, unlike the EVO 4G, the Thunderbolt doesn't have a 4G toggle widget. Thankfully, third-party apps exist for this very purpose. None of them have a Home screen widget yet, but one is supposedly on the way.

LTE OnOFF by TeamAndIRC was released specifically to address the Thunderbolt's problem. It allows users to choose between 5 different options, including LTE only, CDMA/LTE auto switch, and CDMA auto PRL (3G, essentially). It appears to derive from an older app called Phone Info, which has several other functions beyond the radio switch. Both apps will get the job done -- I switched back and forth between LTE and 3G several times -- but LTE OnOFF gets right to the screen Thunderbolt users care about.